Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6052) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to require the employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive training developed by the Inspector General of the Department on reporting wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of Inspector General, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 6052

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021''. SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EMPLOYEE TRAINING REGARDING OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL.

(a) Training.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require each employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive training that the Inspector General of the Department shall develop on the reporting of wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of Inspector General.

(b) Employees.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall require--

(1) each employee of the Department who was employed by the Department on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act undergo the training required by subsection (a) not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act; and

(2) each employee of the Department who begins employment with the Department on or after the date of the enactment of this Act undergo the training required by subsection (a) not later than one year after the date on which the employment begins.

(c) Elements.--Training developed and required under subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1) Definition of the role, responsibilities, and legal authority of the Inspector General of the Department and the duties of employees of the Department for engaging with the Office of the Inspector General.

(2) Identification of the circumstances and mechanisms for reporting fraud, waste, abuse, and other wrongdoing to the Inspector General, including making confidential complaints to the Inspector General.

(3) Identification of the prohibitions and remedies that help to protect Department employees from retaliation when reporting wrongdoing to the Inspector General.

(4) Recognition of opportunities to engage with staff of the Office of the Inspector General to improve Department programs, operations, and services.

(d) Design and Update.--The Inspector General of the Department shall design, and update as the Inspector General considers appropriate, the training developed and required by subsection (a).

(e) System.--The Secretary shall provide, via the talent management system of the Department, or successor system, the training developed and required under subsection (a).

(f) Relation to Certain Training.--The Secretary shall ensure that training developed and required under subsection (a) is separate and distinct from training provided under section 733 of title 38, United States Code.

(g) Notice to Employees.--The Secretary shall ensure that the Inspector General is afforded the opportunity, not less frequently than twice each year and as frequently as the Inspector General considers appropriate under extraordinary circumstances, to use the electronic mail system of the Department to notify all authorized users of such system of the following:

(1) The roles and responsibilities of the employees of the Department when engaging with the Office of the Inspector General.

(2) The availability of training provided under subsection (a).

(3) How to access training provided under subsection (a).

(4) Information about how to contact the Office of the Inspector General, including a link to any website-based reporting form of the Office.

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Mr. TAKANO. 6052.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6052, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act of 2021.

The VA's Office of Inspector General performs important oversight and investigations into a broad range of programs and spending by the Department.

Its work informs our committee's own oversight and has often formed the basis of our legislation. However, the Office of Inspector General relies on VA employees as a key source of information.

The better employees are at communicating with the OIG, the more effective the OIG is in carrying out oversight. That is why this bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Underwood and McKinley is so important.

Their bill requires all VA employees to undergo training developed by the OIG relating to reporting wrongdoing, responding to OIG requests, and cooperating with OIG investigations.

This legislation is supported by The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, and I urge my colleagues to support it as well.

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Mr. TAKANO. Underwood), the brilliant gentlewoman, my good friend, and author of H.R. 6052. She serves on the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health.

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Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 6052, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Training Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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